Historian Nancy A. Hewitt writes in the introduction to A Companion of American Women’s History, “Work on the history of American women has exploded in recent years, building on and challenging the interpretations and frameworks first developed in the 1960s and 1970s. From the emergence of American women’s history as a field, scholars explored the diverse experiences of women (Hewitt 2008, xii).”

Historian Nancy A. Hewitt writes in the introduction to A Companion of American Women’s History, “Work on the history of American women has exploded in recent years, building on and challenging the interpretations and frameworks first developed in the 1960s and 1970s. From the emergence of American women’s history as a field, scholars explored the diverse experiences of women (Hewitt 2008, xii).”

With Hewitt’s quote in mind, please respond to the following questions/prompts:

What about the social movements of the 1960s and 1970s may have caused a “re-examination” of American histories such as is examined in A Companion to American Women’s History?
Citing evidence from the chapters that you read for this module, discuss how historians have shed new light on the second half of the 20th century by investigating and centering stories of women’s lives and activism?

Required core readings for this module are as follows:

Chapter 26: The Affluent Society
Chapter 27: The Sixties

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